São Paulo – The Brazilian Export and Investment Promotion Agency (Apex) should promote starting on Monday (18) a trade delegation to the Middle East, with visits to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The businessmen are going to participate in a delegation and are optimistic regarding business perspectives.
"Our expectations are great, as we have been developing work in the region for months,” said Fernando Reis Costa, from Café Fazenda Caeté, a company that produces ground and roasted coffee in bags, like tea. "We believe the potential of the hotel chains in Dubai may be very important, turnover for our product,” he added.
In the same line, biscuit producer Marilan plans to find partners to take its products to markets and regions that are not yet served. Apart from contacts with Saudi and Emirati importers, the Brazilian executives will have meetings with businessmen from other nations in the region. According to the export manager at Marilan, César Reis, the market in the Middle East is “greatly important” to the company. “To give an idea of its weight, since 2011 all product packages come with text in Arabic,” he said.
Food exporter Bel International informed that it has 12 meetings scheduled in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and 32 in Dubai, in the Emirates. “It is therefore fair to have great expectations,” said company director Paulo Bergamaschi. He should present products made by five producers, like soy protein, condiments, pickles, rice, canned meat, sausages, soft drinks and water. “We already have business in the region and have been travelling there with certain frequency, as they are great importers of food, our business,” he said.
Another company that plans to increase its business in the Middle East is Sakura. “We hope for excellent meetings with very objective buyers, to stimulate us to gain more and more space on the market,” said Rafael Narciso de Souza, trader of the traditional producer of soy sauce. Apart from the product, the company is also going to show salad dressings and preservatives. “Our company understands that the foreign market is the route to prosperity,” he said.
Harald Chocolates, in turn, sells to Dubai, Lebanon and Yemen, but aims to increase its business and has elected the region as a target starting this year. The international trade manager, José Ricardo Cicone, is seeking new distributors. “To Harald exports are strategic, as, like all companies in the sector, 70% of our raw material and packages are priced in dollars,” he said. “Increasing business abroad, we guarantee to the company a natural hedge against appreciation of the currency, avoiding oscillation and speculation with foreign currencies,” he added. Another advantage, according to him, is appreciation of the brand.
Outside the food sector, Astra, a maker of products for bathrooms, wants to start selling to Saudi Arabia and expand its presence in the Emirates. “We believe that the country (Saudi Arabia) presents great potential for our products,” said Marc Olivier Dotto, who is responsible for the foreign trade area. “We must make better use of the potential the region offers. We are already consolidated in almost all countries in Latin America, but have much to grow in Africa and the Middle East,” he said.
Trading company Daune, in turn, which trades wooden products, has specific targets. According to company representative Douglas Silva, expectations are to generate US$ 500,000 in business in the Arab countries this year and US$ 1 million next year. In the region, the focus is in sawed wood for use in construction and in industry.
In all, 30 exporter companies in the areas of food, auto parts and housing and construction are going to participate in the mission.
Investment
Apart from roundtables between Brazilian exporters and Saudi, Emirati and other importers in the region, the delegation should count on businessmen interested in attracting investment to projects in Brazil. There are little over 10 projects in the real estate, infrastructure and agricultural production area, according to the Image and Market Access coordinator at Apex, Vinícius Estrela.
“This is a model that has been generating many results,” said Estrela, referring to the format of the delegation, which includes roundtables with local and regional importers, presentations for investors and institutional participation of the government of Brazil. Apart from the president at Apex, Maurício Borges, the delegation should include representatives of the Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade, to which the agency is connected, and to the Brazilian Foreign Office (Itamaraty). The trip has the support of the Arab Brazilian Chamber of Commerce and should count on participation of the organisation’s CEO, Michel Alaby.
*Translated by Mark Ament
